An anonymous reader writes: Seagate has decided to streamline the Barracuda product range into a single line of drives carrying the name. Barracuda Green is being discontinued, and the Barracuda XT will become a hybrid drive offering. Therefore, if you want a typical desktop PC hard drive from Seagate it will only carry the name Barracuda.

The reason for deciding to do this is a simple one: hard drive manufacturing has got to the point now where all hard drives Seagate offers are as efficient as its Green range was. The company also moved to a 1TB per platter design, which along with other improvement means all its drives can now offer good performance. By streamlining the range it also simplifies production for Seagate, and makes things clearer for both OEMs and consumers alike. Basically, if you decide to buy a Barracuda, the only decision you have to make is how much storage you want.

As the Thirty Years' War between Europe's ruling dynasties dragged on during the 17th century, soldiers suffered through the coldest few decades Europe had experienced for some time. Far to the east, armies from Manchuria (present day northern China) swept down from the snowy north and breeched the Great Wall of China. Not long after, a plague swept Europe. Why so much tumult? A controversial new study suggests that most of humankind's maladies—from wars to epidemics to economic downturns—can be traced to climate fluctuations.